Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE: GWRE), a global provider of software solutions to the general insurance industry, is creating 75 new positions in 2013 to add to the existing 50 employees already employed at its Global Services’ and Regional Development Centre in Blanchardstown, Dublin.

Guidewire Software was founded in 2001 in Silicon Valley and has grown to become a market leader in the provision of core system software for the global general insurance industry.

Guidewire established its Dublin location in July 2011. Today’s significant expansion plan is a direct result of the outstanding contribution that the Irish team has made to Guidewire’s growth globally. This expansion in Ireland will make Guidewire Ireland the largest office outside of the US and will bring to 125 the number of people the company expects to employ in Ireland. The extra staff will provide consultancy support and additional product development resources to support some of Guidewire’s customers which now span 16 countries and four continents.

Niall Lalor, who leads the Guidewire Services Centre in Dublin and was the company’s first Irish employee, attributes this growth to the outstanding results delivered by the Dublin-based team. “Our team has quickly gained the confidence of Guidewire customers globally, to such an extent that in our 18 months of operation we have significantly expanded the scope of projects we work on. We now expect to add 75 new team members to meet additional expected demand. This is a really exciting time to be at Guidewire.”

The Guidewire Services Centre was initially set up to meet the growing customer demand for assistance in implementing Guidewire’s solutions around the world. The technical talent in the area convinced Guidewire to also create its fourth Regional Development Centre in Dublin. It joins Guidewire teams in the San Francisco Bay Area, Tokyo, and Toronto as a product development operation.

“We are thrilled by the exceptional technical talent that we’ve found in Dublin. Guidewire’s goal is to build the best software possible for our industry. Our current Dublin team has already demonstrated their commitment to our core principles of product quality and long-term orientation. We are looking forward to the continued expansion of the team,” said Jeremy Henrickson, vice president, Product Development, Guidewire.

The 75 new roles on offer in Dublin include:

Graduate/Entry Level Software Consultants

Experienced Software Consultants

Experienced Software Developers

Experienced Software Product Manager

Recruitment activity is underway to fill the newly created positions. Lalor adds: “Guidewire has put a lot of effort into making this a great place to work, where people are truly valued and challenged every day. In Dublin, we have the passion, drive and energy of a start-up but within the shell of an established multinational company.”

Lalor’s view is supported by Alex Naddaff, global vice president, Professional Services, Guidewire who says that the company is delighted with the high quality of employees in Dublin.
“Our aspiration when starting out in Dublin was to build a high quality team that was a good cultural match with our core company values, our agile project approach and our belief in home and work life balance. We are very pleased that we are achieving these goals. This has been a very rewarding experience for Guidewire and we look forward to a successful future in Ireland.”
Today’s jobs announcement by Guidewire Software is supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through IDA Ireland, the Government agency responsible for the attraction and development of foreign investment in Ireland.

Richard Bruton TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, says: “The ICT sector forms a major part of the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs. Since we have taken office, employment in this sector has increased by over 5,000 people and we are determined to build on this and take the maximum possible advantage of the global strengths which we have built in this area. Today’s announcement that Guidewire expects to create 75 additional jobs in Dublin is great news for the city and further evidence of our solid progress in this sector. I commend all involved and am determined to ensure that we can see further announcements like this in the coming months.”

Barry O’Leary, CEO IDA Ireland, also welcomed today’s announcement: “The rapid expansion of Guidewire’s Global Consulting Centre in Dublin further endorses Ireland’s credentials as a hub for both the software and business services sectors. Guidewire provides core system software for the general insurance industry and Ireland provides the highly-skilled talent pool the company requires. It is one of a significant number of Californian companies that have invested in Ireland recently.’’